scart to VGA?

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:00 pm

HDCP (High definition copyright protection) is embedded to all HDMI compatible TV's.. Without the HDCP signal embedded into the signal you won't get a picture on your TV because your TV wants the HDCP signal to show the picture.

My TV is HDCP compliant and accepts a signal without HDCP.

Also I'm not trying to get progressive out of VGA, even if I wanted to I have that base covered with my transcoder for my DC. It gives me an option for resolutions: 480p, 720P, 576P, and 1080i. Thats another reason I was toying with the idea of going from scart to VGA. But no one has still answered how scart can be turned into VGA, I want to know if it's a simple cord or an actual converter of some sort is needed.

My Sony CRT HDTV was right around 1000 and is past the return point so this is the cheaper route for me to go. I don't want a monitor either. It would cost me way more for one this size and I want it to be HD.

And SCART does not output VGA 31khz in any shape or form.

I know and never really wanted to get this out of it. I just wanted to get component out of it and know I can now. I think I'll get an XRGB3 b/c I was able to find one finally.

elvis · Post by **elvis** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:47 pm

Strider77 wrote:But no one has still answered how scart can be turned into VGA, I want to know if it's a simple cord or an actual converter of some sort is needed.

Err... yes we have. Several times now. You need an upscan converter.

SCART/RGB is 15.7KHz at around 240 or so lines, progressive scan (or 480 or so lines interlaced). VGA/RGB is 31KHz, 480 lines progressive scan. To get from one signal to the other, you need an upscanner, or line doubler: a device that will take the 15.7KHz input, double it, and send it on its merry way.

XRGB3 is one. There are plenty of others. Google for "upscan converter", "broadcast line doubler" and similar phrases.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 11:14 pm

Ok, sorry it was all the KHz talk that confused me. I understand that part a lot more clear now.

Thanks for all the answers, I've got a pretty clear understanding now and learned a thing or 2.

Bare with me I just got my HDTV a few months ago and have had a crash coarse in resolutions ect since then. I did my research well enough on the tv. Just trying to maximize the display of all my systems on the tv now. The tv has a good internal scaler but only component and hdmi inputs (besides the composits ect). My genesis looks awful on it though. I don't know if its the scaler or the fact its the only system I'm forced to use rca/composit hook ups. Everything else is acceptable with s video and my ps2 with component looks great. But I want to get everything with s video and under hooked up with something better. That's what lead me to scart, b/c I can get scart cables for all those older systems.

neorichieb1971 · Post by **neorichieb1971** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:11 am

VGA is not a standard signal passed through SCART at all.

Why are you obsessed with converting a signal to VGA when your TV only has component and HDMI inputs on it?

I hate to say it, but that transcoder I linked earlier still sounds like the best option, and is the cheapest one so far. Even if you did upscan an image to VGA, it still wouldn't look better.

If you want VGA from RGB, get an XRGB from somewhere and the relevant RGB 21 pin cables from Japan.

So your best options for HDTV are -

Transcoder

Best option for VGA -

XRGB2/2+/3

There are other options, but they are either more complex (parts/wires etc), inferior or cost a hell of a lot more money.

elvis · Post by **elvis** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 2:27 am

Question: (and apologies if it's been mentioned and I missed it), what's the exact make and model of your TV?

Armed with that information, I could give you a better recommendation rather than all this techy guff.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:10 am

the display it's 1080i native but can also show true 480p.
720p gets upconverted to 1080i.
SD stuff either shows at 480p or 960i depending on what DRC mode you've got selected.

The Super Fine Pitch tube shows about 1400 lines, which is a LOT more than any other consumer tube out there

it's a sony KD-30XS9555

elvis · Post by **elvis** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:46 am

For Dreamcast in particular, I would do the following:

Output via the VGA box for proper 480p analogue RGB. Transcode this to YCrCb via a transcoder box such as the following:
http://www.smarthome.com/777060.html

These would then plug directly into your TV via the Component inputs.

Remember that the Dreamcast can output native VGA. The Dreamcast "VGA box" is not a converter, but rather just a pin-to-pin output device.

That would most likely give you the best picture for your setup. It involves the least amount of upscaling/conversion/compression. There are a handful of games that won't work through the dreamcast VGA box, but the vast majority of games work fine (and look superb).

Older consoles with SCART-only will require an expensive upscaler to sit in the middle.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:56 am

Output via the VGA box for proper 480p analogue RGB. Transcode this to YCrCb via a transcoder box

Ok I've all ready bought and done this, the DC is solved and done. My transcoder supports:

input

640*480@60Hz
800*600@60Hz
1024*768@60Hz
1280*1024@60Hz

output

480p
576p
720p
1080i

ok it seems like I should just convert scart to component or use an upscaler like the XRGB. anything so far with component looks fine on my TV regardless of being SD or HD. S-video looks "ok" and composit looks like crap. Well I guess these are the cases; I'm not sure if it's the method that is causing the results or what ever resloution that particular system outputs is the culprit. The genesis looks AWFUL with composit, SNES looks fine with s-video, saturn looks all right with s-video, PS2 is totally exceptable with component. Everything else supports 480p and up. Oh I never tested the PC engine yet so no comment on that.

neorichieb1971 · Post by **neorichieb1971** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:44 am

Geez Strider, your ambitions are going to be pretty expensive

If you buy an XRGB its going to cater for your Sega Gen/Sat and SNES needs (I think). I can't say it would be worth to go from SCART>VGA>component.. Thats too complex for my liking. For Genesis, your probably going to require some 75ohm resisters for the 21 pin RGB lines because I got an ultra bright muddy picture. Its an easy job and takes 5 mins and the results are 100% better.

The PCE only outputs composite without modification so unless you get some kind of mod done to it to output RGB its not going to look nice. I had an XBR450 when they came out and I plugged my Duo into it and it looked absolutely horrible.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 6:09 am

SCART>VGA>component

I'm not so interested in this really. I think I'm just going to go with scart to component and see if that helps or just go with an xrgb of some sort. i guess if i did go with and xrgb other than the 3rd one i WOULD wind up sending in some sort of RGB signal in the XRGB then out to my transcoder on to the component imputs of the tv. that is a bit sloppy but if the results look fine i don't care really.

I guess my biggest problem is not knowing if my TVs scaler is to blame or the crappy hookup methods I'm using right now. My TVs scaler is pretty good but I'm super anal about things like this so I dunno.